Melie's Kitchen + A Recipe You Need In Your Life

If you're a bit of a baking enthusiast and are one of those people who loves having pictures of stunning, edible creations in their Instagram feed, you will be familiar with Melie's Kitchen. Amelia Ferrier is the talented young lady behind the 'grams and what are quite frankly amazing looking cake creations. She's recently released her first book, also named Melie's Kitchen. It's absolutely stunning and as well as her cakes, there's a range of biscuits, slices and savoury creations featured throughout.

Today I've partnered with Penguin Random House* to bring you one of the recipes from Melie's Kitchen. It's one I made myself last week and it tastes amazing. In fact, it was only around in our pantry for less than 24 hours after I made it. For the most part it's very easy to make but if you're new to making homemade marshmallow, be patient. Mine didn't work out so I ended up abandoning it from the recipe. Otherwise, this isn't too tricky.

Here's the recipe for Puffed Rice, Peanut Butter Fudge and Marshmallow bars. Let me know if you end up making these! I'd love to see your creations as well. Anyway, recipe is below:

For the puffed rice base

2 cups puffed rice

¼ cup caster sugar

35g honey

35g golden syrup

70g butter

1 tablespoon milk

¼ teaspoon salt

For the peanut butter fudge

¾ cup icing sugar

25g butter, cubed

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup cream

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup smooth peanut
butter

For the cocoa-swirled marshmallow

4 tablespoons cold water

1½ teaspoons powdered gelatine

½ cup caster sugar

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon premium Dutch cocoa powder, sifted

To decorate

250g dark chocolate (50% cocoa), roughly chopped

⅓ cup roasted salted peanuts, finely chopped

flaky sea salt
(optional)

Grease a 20cm
square slice tin and line with baking paper. Line a chopping board with baking
paper. Set aside.

To make the puffed
rice base, put the puffed rice in a large bowl and set aside. In a medium
saucepan over a medium-high heat, stir together the sugar, honey, golden syrup,
butter, milk and salt, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring
occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from the heat and immediately pour over
the puffed rice. Quickly fold into the puffed rice and spoon into the prepared
tin. Press down firmly with a spoon or the base of a measuring cup, making sure
the surface is level. Refrigerate while you make the peanut butter fudge.

To make the peanut
butter fudge, put the icing sugar in a large bowl and set aside. Melt the
butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, cream and
salt, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Whisk
in the peanut butter. Pour the mixture over the icing sugar and stir thoroughly
to combine. Pour over the puffed rice base and spread out evenly. Gently tap
the tin against the bench a few times to level out the surface. Chill in the
freezer while you make the cocoa-swirled marshmallow.

To make the
cocoa-swirled marshmallow, put half of the water into a small bowl. Sprinkle
over the gelatine and set aside. Combine the sugar and remaining water in a small saucepan over a
medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the gelatine and
bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer
fitted with a whisk attachment. Add salt. Whisk for about 4–5 minutes, until
soft and doubled in volume. Fold in the cocoa powder to create a marbled
effect. Spread over the peanut butter fudge and leave to set in the freezer for
about 30 minutes, until the marshmallow is firm enough to hold its shape when
cut.

Remove the slice from the tin and peel off the baking paper. Using a knife dipped in hot water, slice into bars roughly 4cm x 10cm. Refrigerate while you melt the chocolate.

Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until fully melted. Remove from the heat and pour into a small but deep bowl. Dip each bar into the melted chocolate, using two forks to help lower them in and out of it. Lift each bar out and carefully tap against the side of the bowl to allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Place on the prepared chopping board and carefully sprinkle over the chopped peanuts and a little salt, if desired, don the middle of the bar. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes, until the chocolate has set.

If stored in an airtight container in the fridge, these bars will keep for up to a week.

*This post is in no way sponsored however I did receive a copy of Melie's Kitchen and was provided

the recipe by Penguin Random House. All love of sweet treats and baking in general are my own.